Stamps notes: Charbonneau-Campeau holding out hope for comeback

Harder to beat than a speedy defensive back though: The race against time.

After suffering a broken leg during a win over Toronto Argonauts on July 13, it was believed Charbonneau-Campeau’s season was over.

The good thing about the regular season is it lasts through three actual seasons, starting in spring, filling out the summer and finishing in the fall.

The leg has had a chance to heal, and now the second-year Stampeder is working on making one of those amazing comebacks before the team plays its final game of 2015.

There is one regular season game left, and then up to three weeks of playoffs with the Grey Cup on Nov. 29 in Winnipeg.

Nothing would make him happier than to be suiting up at Investors Group Field.

“Hope is there for sure,” said Charbonneau-Campeau, who had a breakout campaign with the Stamps last season, catching three passes for 102 yards in the playoffs.

“Technically, I will be cleared (to practise). It’s about getting back in shape and making the ankle strong enough to perform. Someone could feel normal but we have to perform at a high level so the rehab takes even longer.

“I’ve been running a couple of routes … But after a while I can feel the soreness. I can’t do the same volume as I would normally do. I have to keep working hard and keep pushing with the guys. It’s good for morale too. Instead of just being in there lifting, I can be out with the guys in practice.”

It would be a long-shot for Charbonneau-Campeau to make a return, but he is trying to stay positive. If he doesn’t make it back into a game, at least he can enter the off-season fully healthy with an eye on making a return at 100 per cent at next year’s training camp.

After 14 games playing cheerleader, he’s anxious to be part of the 44 suiting up again.

“It’s hard to stay still on the sidelines on game day,” he said. “I can’t wait to be out there. It’s been a long process.”

SOLID HISTORY

For those looking for positives in the second-place finish and West semifinal meeting with the B.C. Lions, there is this: In five previous semifinal meetings, the Stamps have won all of them.

Since the CFL went to a one-game playoff system, the Stamps and Lions have met nine times in the playoffs, and Calgary boasts a 7-2 record.

The last time the Lions came to McMahon Stadium for the West semifinal was 2001, and that win helped get the Stamps momentum toward a West final win over Edmonton and Grey Cup victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

DAWSON AIMS FOR WEST FINAL

In his second game as the Stampeders returner, Skye Dawson started to find the seams with his blockers. He broke through for a 29-yard punt return and picked up another 34 yards on a kickoff in a solid performance.

Teamed with running back Tory Harrison, who had a 59-yard kickoff return to start the game, the Stamps held a great edge of the Saskatchewan Roughriders in special teams during Saturday’s win at McMahon Stadium.

Dawson came to the Stamps late in the season in a trade with the Eskimos, so he would like nothing more than to head up north for the West final on Nov. 22 and show off some of his moves.

“They know I will be excited to play that game,” Dawson said. “It will be a battle.”

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